Touhou Requiem of the Darkness
by Chris Kasaiaki
Summary: My own orignal story combined with the world of Touhou Project. Aero Tatsu has a far from normal life, one that he never really wanted. But when a strange accident occurs, he gets sent into a world where his life becomes even further from normal. Sort of Hiatus on this atm. Sorry no updates came sooner. A revision is also being planned.
1. Prologue

The sounds of morning; birds chirping peacefully without a care in the world, light breeze that flowed by like every other day, small insects buzzing to the dawn of a brand new day. It was just one of those particular mornings that were the same as any other. That, however, being the case beforehand.

Though the sun was not beaming into the room, I felt my body instinctively making the effort to open its eyes, but a part of me wanted to just keep them shut from reality. But then something went off in my head like an alarm and my conscious snapped back into place, along with my entire upper body shooting up out of the futon that I was laying in. I stared around the room I had slept in.

There was no shelf piled completely full of manga. There was no desk that contained the computer filled with the number of anime I had seen or with the images of past events. There was nothing. None of the things that I had become accustomed to seeing were anywhere to be found.

"So then I guess... it really wasn't a dream... after all." I quietly muttered under my breath as I pulled my self out of the futon.

The reality was that I was no longer in the home I had become fond of for so long. For that matter, though it may sound crazy, I was no longer in the world that I was mainly from. I may sound crazy like I said, but everything about anything I could say was true. I was somewhere else, somewhere far from anywhere, from civilization that was set in the modern age.

The reality I now was living was in a reality in a world where things were more set back into an old based time. Where modern technology had some advances but not as much as from where I come from. Where there was no one I knew but myself and anyone I might befriend.

I realized that long before and decided that I would have to make do with what I could. In this case, simply stand up and move forward, and don't look back.

Yeah, easier said than done.

"Hey Aero, are you awake yet? You need to get started on your chores as soon as possible." A sudden voice called out to me, and upon hearing it, I quickly jolted out of the futon and changed into my clothes.

"Yeah, just give me a few minutes; I'll be out as soon as I finish getting dressed!" I quickly replied back.

There was no response, so I could assume that the other person had either heard me or decided to ignore me altogether. Not all to surprising given the situation of how all of this came about.

Once again, it had been just one of those regular average days, and I think it would be best to explain what happened before going any further with what is going on now...


	2. Another World, The Fantasy Village

It had been one of those ordinary days in the afternoon. School had just finished and the sun was still shining high up above the area of the town called Murahara. Amongst the many students who were in a rush to return home was myself, and along side me was my childhood friend Mizore Hibana, who smiled as we continuously walked along the side of the road.

It was painstakingly difficult to tell what she wanted, because for some reason, she had been pestering me all day by giving me strange hints as to an unforeseen surprise. But really she looked as though she had gotten pissed off for the first time in a very long time, and had been holding back so much anger that she was going to do something that may very well maim me for life.

The long silence that had been going on between us was finally broken as we reached the street corner.

"So Aero, do you have any plans that you need to do before we get home, or are you free?" She said unexpectedly.

In this sense it almost felt as though she were asking me out on a date, but I knew deep down that that could not be the case.

"No, nothing in particular, I was going to help Chika out with some more Kendo practice, but if you need something I'd be more than willing to help." I replied back. Mizore seemed happy to hear my reply.

"I'm so glad! Actually Minora wanted me to ask you that and was wondering if you could come by her house some time after school."

"For what exactly?" I asked in hearing her say those words. A part of me felt some kind of danger if I were to go along with this.

"She didn't explain it to me directly but she said that if you came, it would be a really big surprise."

The second I heard that, a sharp and cold chill seemed to run down my spine. I recalled, on account, a number of incidents before where Minora, one of my other childhood friends who I met here and who also happens to be incredibly wealthy and a very smart person, had attempted to "surprise" me but in the end nearly landed me in the hospital if not for my quick reflexes to most of the things she usually and quite literally threw at me.

"Uh... I suppose I could check it out. The only thing I hope is that she doesn't have anything that might hurt me, heh heh..." I let out a soft chuckle.

"Tee-hee, I doubt she has anything that will do that." Mizore giggled with a sense that she was being honest.

I let out a sigh of relief and continued to walk forward while wondering just what it was that Minora had planned. But of course, things just don't go the way's we expect and fate has a nasty way of rearing it's ugly head at the wrong time.

After returning home and getting into a change of clothes, Mizore and I soon headed over to the Osuko Manor, the home of one of my other childhood friends. As we approached the gates, I couldn't help but get this strange feeling within me.

"Ah, Master Aero and Lady Mizore, I see you have finally arrived. The mistress is waiting for you in her special room." We were greeted by the head butler of the manor, Komura, who was very pleased to see us.

"Hey Komura, it's been a while hasn't it." I greeted him.

"It has hasn't it? I take it you have been well?" He replied.

"You bet, same as ever, but I am getting this sense that something really strange is about to happen."

Komura smiled which meant he knew where I was coming from. He eventually led me and Mizore down into a high-tech looking lab that was obviously Minora's place of work where she did most of her inventing of very advanced technological based items and equipment that gave her the title of "Genius of Tech".

The second we walked in, Komura retreated back upstairs leaving me and Mizore alone with only two other individuals, Minora and Haruka.

"You finally came! I was beginning to think you chickened out at the last second Aero." Minora said with a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. So, what kind of deathtrap have you got in store for me today my dear friend?" I replied back in the same manner.

Minora said nothing but gave me a sinister looking smile that made me want to leave within the next second.

"Oh, you'll see eventually." She remarked while letting out a menacing snicker. Another chill ran up my spine.

I was just about to state a reason, but before I could, Haruka suddenly came up and said something.

"Um, Aero..." She began but cut off.

"What is it?" I said.

Haruka desperately fumbled around while trying to come up with the right words to say. After a while, she finally spoke up.

"The thing is Minora asked me over before you guys, so before you guys got here, I saw what it was she was planning for you to test. I didn't get the best glimpse of it though, but it looked really different from many of her other inventions, so I thought that you should just be careful since well, I mean, who knows what it will do right?" She exclaimed.

I smiled and placed a hand on Haruka's head and rubbed it.

"Thanks Haruka, you always were the one who gave me the best warnings about strange things. I trust you full heartedly on this." I said. Haruka smiled and her face turned red.

"Hey! What's the hold up? Come on already Aero, you too Haruka!" I heard Minora shout from afar.

"Were coming! Let's go Haruka." I said. Haruka quickly nodded and followed close behind. From the looks of things, Mizore had already gone on ahead, so it was safe to assume she already was aware of what it was Haruka wanted to say to me.

"Behold!" Was the first thing said to me as I walked into the room filled to the brim with various highly advance pieces of technology. Minora had her arm out in the fashion when someone presented something spectacular.

What stood before us was a strange pod like device that I could tell neither of us had ever seen before. From the looks of it, there was only one thing I could imagine it to be.

"Let me guess... a transporter?" I asked.

"How smart you are my dear friend. Yes! That is exactly what it is that stands before you. My latest technological development! A fully working transportation device!" Minora shouted in glee.

I took another look at the strange device and as usual was impressed by how it looked. After all, since this was Minora we were talking about, it obviously looked as though there were no flaws. That of course to the untrained eye. Being Minora's regular guinea pig for her whacked out devices, I always had a hunch, and every time that hunch was right, that there was something bound to go wrong with this experiment.

Boy how true I was more than ever this time around...

After setting up a bunch of various wires and other contraptions to fix the machine up, I soon found myself waiting for doomsday as I stood inside the pod that was to seal my ever so God-damned fate.

"Don't look so upset Aero. What could go wrong?" Minora exclaimed.

"When it's with you, a lot of things can go wrong." I said in an overly worried voice.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Now, let's get this thing started up!" She yelled out.

I took a last look outside the window of the door and saw Mizore and Haruka looking at me with worried looks. I smiled at them.

"Don't worry you two; I'll be finished with this thing in no time. Then we can head over to Cafe 7 and just relax on the fact that nothing bad happened." I explained.

My sense of saying such words was no more worse than it was now.

"And now... Engage!" Minora said as she pressed down a small blue button.

... Silence

Nothing happened.

"Huh? What's going on, why didn't anything happen?" Minora questioned from the safety zone.

I let out a heavy sigh and scratched my head.

"I think it may have a few bolts loose... just like that head of yours." I said.

"But I made sure everything was put together properly, I don't..." Minora paused for a sec and I could tell she was looking at something. Before I could say anything, her face swung back in my direction. She had a look of terror on her face.

"What's wrong?" I said.

The next words were ones that would be some of the last I would here from her.

"Get out of there now!" She yelled out.

Besides myself, Mizore and Haruka had looks of confusion on their faces as Minora scrambled to fix something that had apparently gone wrong.

'What, what the hell? What happened' I thought to myself.

As that thought crossed my mind, I reached for the handle on the door and pushed on it to open it... but to no avail.

"What? What's going on? Why... won't... it open?" I said as I desperately tried to get out.

"Aero! There's no time, you have to get out of that thing, or it's going to explode!" Minora suddenly shouted.

"What!" The second I heard that, I tried desperately, even more than before to open the door, but no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't open.

"Damn it!" I yelled furiously.

"No good! It's too late!" Minora yelled out.

As soon as I heard that, I threw my arms up in a defensive position to brace for impact.

I truly thought this was the end…

"Do you want continue to live?"

A voice called out; an unknown voice. But for some reason or another, I recognized this voice.

"Who's there?" I called out.

"Someone who simply wants to assist you." By that sentence, I could tell that the voice was definitely female.

"Well if you're going to help me, then do it now!" I called out.

"Very well." The voice said back.

It was then that I suddenly felt something grab the back of my jacket... and pull me into some unknown hole the likes of which I had never seen.

"What the hell!" I cried out. Not because of the fact that I was now falling, but because of what happened next.

*BOOM!*

A massive explosion suddenly came from the hole in which I had been dragged into, much larger than I had thought. It was only then that I realized... I could have been killed.

"My god..." I whispered under my breath.

"You have nothing to fear now, you are alive and that is all that matters." The voice suddenly called out.

"Alright then," I said, "So now what?"

"Now," The voice said, "You enter the world that will decide you're truest and greatest of fates." It said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"All will become apparent shortly; for now let me just say one more thing..." There was a slight pause.

"Welcome... to Gensokyo."

And then... Everything went black...


	3. Hakurei Shrine

My mind was hazy... my body had a sharp pain going through it. I couldn't understand it, but I could tell that I was in someplace I hadn't the slightest clue about.

"My head... what the hell happened?" I tried to gather my thoughts as I picked myself up from the cold ground I had laid down in. I turned from left to right and what came to sight surprised me more than even being pulled into the strange portal from before.

A large forest-like landscape surrounded me from every corner around, a strange feeling almost like being claustrophobic, began to creep up on me.

"Where... Is this place?" I muttered as I started taking a few steps forward. From what memories that started coming back, I recalled the experiment, the strange hole that looked more like a gap, an explosion, and then nothing. That was all I could remember aside from everything else.

"I guess I should just be thankful I didn't get amnesia or something worse." I said with a sense of relief.

After clearing my head I began moving forward and soon I found myself at what appeared to be a large lake, bigger than any other I had seen.

"Maybe I should relax here for a bit and get a sense of where I am." I said as I sat down near the bank of the river. As my mind wandered for a bit, thoughts of what the girls were doing quickly wrapped around my mind.

'I just hope they didn't think I got killed or something,' I thought to myself, 'I may have been at ground zero of that blast but it takes a lot more than that to kill me.'

As that thought crossed my mind, I suddenly felt a sharp chill run over me, one that was actually cold. But before I could even react...

*smack!*

"Owww!" Something sharp suddenly hit me in the arm. I checked to see if I had got cut at all but it seemed to only leave a slight bruise.

"Heh heh heh! Stupid human!" A sudden childish voice laughed as I got up from my spot to find out who my attacker was.

"Hey! Whoever thinks this is funny, come out and face me!" I called out hoping to draw them in.

"Ha ha ha! Foolish human! Do you honestly think that you can really beat me?" The same childish voice yelled out.

Then from within the bushes, a small figure with small crystal like wings and blue hair, which had a ribbon the same color in it, jumped out. It was a girl no doubt and she wore a small one-piece dress colored exactly like her hair but with a white zigzag like pattern going around on the hem of her skirt. She kind of reminded me of my little sister.

"Do you think that a human like you can take on the strongest in all of Gensokyo, Cirno!" She said with a boastful, loud voice. My only reaction was really, nothing.

A strong silence passed over before the self-proclaimed strongest called Cirno spoke up.

"Hey! Aren't you the least bit surprised? Or are you so surprised by my strength that you can't speak? Yes, that must be it, I am such a genius." She said with a proud smile on her face.

The only reaction that I could possibly give to such a self-centered speech was nothing more than a confused expression and nothing more. As the self-declared strongest known as Cirno continued saying more and more comments that were centered around her, I turned the other way, and simply began walking away from her. Of course that got her attention.

"Hey, where the hell do you think your going! Chicken, wuss, coward!"

She suddenly began yelling out different remarks that were most likely aimed at trying to get me to react in some childish manner. However, I didn't even think to react, since that would only make me as childish as her.

Eventually, both the large lake and the idiot ice fairy were no longer in sight and I began wondering around to find help.

My journey across the area eventually led me to a small village where things seemed to be set in a sort of old age form, sort of like how Japan was in the 17th or 18th century.

It was only after questioning a few different individuals for info as to where I could get the most help that someone eventually gave me a tip that a place called the Hakurei Shrine might be the best place to go to. I then thanked the kind person and went in the direction that they pointed out.

Eventually my journey led me away from the village and I soon came upon a stone staircase that led quite some distance up. But my determination to find a way back home was a driving force that was more than enough to help me continue.

"Alright then, let's go!" I cried out with an invigorating feeling.

With each step I took, a small piece of hope seemed to flow into me, and I felt as though I was so much closer to home. However, as I took that last step up the stairs, all of that hope seemed to shatter into pieces.

What stood some distance in front of me was definitely a shrine, but it looked as though as a meteor had just gone through it. The roof was literally in shambles, its walls had collapsed inward and out, and what looked to have been some sort of box before was now nothing more than splinters.

I felt my knees hit the ground hard as I felt all the hope of before simply fade away. I looked up and felt the intense luminescent gaze of the moon pierce through my being. I was now left with nowhere left to go.

My thoughts then traced back to the man who had told me of the shrine and I began to wonder if what he had told me of this shrine was just meant as some sort of prank or practical joke. Because if it was, they did a real nice job at fooling me.

However, as my thoughts of this began to disappear, I picked myself up from the ground and made my way to ruined shrine to better observe the destruction. But in all honesty, there was literally nothing I could find that would help me figure if anyone had actually lived in it. If there was, it was most likely covered by the debris from the roof and the walls.

I then went around back and happened to notice that there was another side to the shrine that looked more like the entrance. It was with this I realized that since this part was intact, that someone most definitely was living here, only they weren't around to see what had become of their home.

I then made my way back through a part of the shrine that was still somewhat intact but still had some damage done to it. As I looked through the bits and pieces of the scattered and broken wood, something with a black lustrous color like the night sky caught my eye. As I leaned in for a better observation, I immediately felt behind my back, but came up empty-handed.

"My Black Heaven!" I cried out as I reached for the sheathed knife amongst the scattered debris. "I knew I felt I had lost something, but didn't think it would be this. I wonder how I dropped it." I pondered over every possible explanation that came to mind, but in the end, there was only one possible truth to all of this.

That the destruction of this shrine wasn't caused by anything like a meteor, but was caused by... me.

"WHAT THE HELL!" As that thought crossed my mind, a loud voice that sounded like a girls cried out from the back where I had just come from. While normally I would have run to the source of the cry, my instincts told me to take only so many steps towards the back.

"How... how... how could this happen to my SHRINE!" The second I heard that, my entire body froze in place. I realized there and then that going any further my place me in the worst possible situation I'd ever be in.

"Well look on the bright side, at least you weren't in there when the shrine got demolished." Another voice different from the one before, but also that of a girls, spoke up and sounded like she was trying to comfort the other.

"How can you say such a thing! My shrine is in shambles, its destroyed! And worst of all, my donation box is nothing but splinters!" With each word spoken by the shrines owner, my heart sank lower and lower. Eventually I couldn't take the guilt anymore and slowly walked out into the moonlight, so my presence could be known.

"Umm..." I quietly muttered.

"Hmm?" Both girls looked in my direction, most likely wondering who it was that suddenly interrupted their conversation.

If only I could know what was to come from this strange and sudden encounter.

A deafening silence befell all of us, I myself not knowing what to say after making my presence known.

While it was not the best time to be thinking of such a thing, at the moment, I couldn't help but feel that both girls that stood in front of the wreckage were incredibly cute. Now that I was able to get a better look, I was also able to tell who the shrine maiden was and who the other was.

The shrine maiden wore an outfit that was similar to regular shrine maidens but somewhat different. She had detachable sleeves on each arm, and she had a vest on that had on ascot tied around the neck which was accompanied by a somewhat long skirt, while her black hair was tied up into a ponytail by ribbon. Oddly enough, the color scheme of her outfit was mostly red, the vest, skirt and ribbon, accompanied by white, which were mostly the sleeves. She seemed to be in tears from having discovered her shrine in the state it was now in.

Her friend on the other hand wore an outfit that was a little similar but at the same time, so much different. Her friend wore a white shirt that's sleeves were attached and much shorter, and t was covered by a black top that seemed connected with her long skirt which was also colored black. What was most different about her was that she wore a witch's hat on top of her head, had a small ribbon tied in her long blonde hair, and had broom in her left hand. Just from observation, I could tell that she was witch, maybe even a magician, or both.

After a long enough time, the shrine maiden was the first to break the silence, but I felt it was not for something good. She took a step forward and I reacted by taking a step back

"You... are you...are you the one that did this to MY SHRINE!" She suddenly let out a defining yell and before I could react, I felt her pull my shirt forward while also pointing what appeared to be a gohei right in my face. My entire life seemed to flash before my eyes.

"Wait, wait, wait! It's not my fault! While I admit to destroying your shrine, it wasn't my intention I swear!" I cried trying to convince the already enraged shrine maiden. But it seemed I only dug my grave deeper.

"So you admit it do you. Then I will make sure you suffer for it!" She yelled readying herself to attack.

"I told you it was an accident!" I cried out again.

"Hold on Reimu!" Before the shrine maiden could continue her attack, her magician friend reached out and grabbed her arm. I felt relieved for a split second.

"Now either I'm deaf, or I just heard him say that what happened hear was an accident." She began saying, "Now if that is true, doesn't that mean we should at least give him a chance to explain himself."

The shrine maiden looked back at her friend and then at me, only with somewhat of a seriously pissed off expression.

"Mmm..." The shrine maiden let out an annoyed groan.

"Fine, we'll let him tell us what happened." She said as she released my shirt, and taking the gohei away from my face.

"However," She suddenly spoke up again pointing the gohei back in my face, "If what he says isn't true and that he destroyed my shrine for his own gain, he'll know that severe consequences await him, right?"

I nodded furiously in agreement with her, hoping that she knew I wouldn't try to pull anything.

"Follow me." The shrine maiden said as she walked off to the other side of the shrine, her magician friend following behind, myself included.

If only I could have realized at that time what I was about to get myself involved in.

A deafening silence filled the small room on the other side of the shrine; that is to say, I was the one keeping silent, while the shrine maiden and magician went on with their own conversation in what appeared to be a kitchen.

After some time had passed, they both walked into the room I was seated in and the shrine maiden placed a tray on the table in the center of the room. It had three old fashioned cups that had no handles on it as well as a very old looking pot that had steam rising from its spout.

"Is that tea?" I quietly asked.

"It is." the shrine maiden said in response as she placed a cup in front of everyone around the table. She then proceeded to pour the tea as well.

A green, steamy liquid poured into the cup in front of me, and the scent from it made me realize that it was green tea. As she finished with my cup, she proceeded then to fill her own and the witch's as well. It was only after she placed the old looking pot back on the tray did the painfully eerie silence fall over the room yet again.

Out of respect, I reached out and grasped the cup, placing the bottom on my other hand. I took a quick sip. The warm, green colored liquid went down my throat, and I couldn't help but feel that it was quite hot, yet at the same time, very good.

As I placed my cup back on the table, the shrine maiden began a conversation I knew I couldn't avoid.

"So... explain yourself," she began to say, "First off, who are you, and secondly, why did we find you amongst the fragments of what was once my shrine?"

She said all the while giving me a hard and cold stare. I cleared my throat before responding.

"Well first of all, let me first apologize for breaking your shrine. The truth is that I had no intention of doing so, and that all of this is just one big misunderstanding."

Neither she nor the witch said anything, so I continued.

"And I suppose I should introduce myself," I repositioned myself, in the appropriate manner, and cleared my throat again, "My name is Aero Tatsu, you can simply refer to me as Aero. If you want any further info on me, don't be shy to ask." I said with a confident smile.

Both of them looked at me and then at each other. It was the witch who spoke up then.

"Well at least you're polite. Might have had to kick you if you were a jerk haha!" she laid down a joke most likely to soften the atmosphere, "Well aside from that, it's nice to meet you Aero! The names Marisa Kirisame, and around here people refer to me as a regular magician or witch, whatever your comfortable with." It would seem that my prediction on what kind of person she was was right after all.

As Marisa finished speaking, the shrine maiden took her turn in the introductions.

"Well I guess you seem like a nice enough person, so let me introduce myself, I'm Reimu Hakurei, the owner of this shrine. Before we go any further, let me ask you, even if you didn't have any intention of wrecking my shrine, are you still willing to repair it? Because even if you say no, you're going to one way or another."

As Reimu finished her short speech, I couldn't help but laugh. That seemed to tick her off a bit though.

"What's so funny! I'm being serious you know?"

"I know, I know, hahaha! It's just that, I actually was going to ask if you would want me to do that. After all, I have no problem doing that." I said as I got the last of my laughs out.

"But can I ask you something Reimu?" I asked as I reached for my cup.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Actually, the truth is that I'm not from around here. I'm actually from somewhere that's very well not here in this place that's called Gensokyo. So if I may ask, while I repair your shrine for you, do you think you can help me figure out a way back to my home. If so, I would greatly appreciate it."

As I finished my little speech, Reimu crossed her arms, and tilted her head down, pondering over what she could do most likely. Marisa did the same thing but with a more serious expression from what I could see.

Then, after a few seconds, "Alright, I'll see what I can do to help you out." That small flame of hope I had felt before suddenly lit back up.

"But your going to have to work extra hard in fixing my shrine, otherwise, you can forget it, okay?"

I smiled, "Yes of course! You can count on me Reimu!"

"I'll help to!" Marisa suddenly called out, surprising both Reimu and me, "It's normally not my kind of thing to do, but this sounds interesting especially if what you say about you being from the outside world is true. Let's help him out full power Reimu!"

"All right, all right, calm down. He has to repair the shrine first, then we can help him," Reimu commented, "But its a little late so you can start tomorrow. I'll set a futon up for you."

I could only smile in response as I continually thanked both Reimu and Marisa for agreeing to help me out.

So there you have it, this is how I got myself into another jam yet again. But I could feel deep down, that there was something to happen that even I couldn't describe. And trust me, you have no idea what kind of things were to happen as I began living my new life... here within Gensokyo.


	4. Day to Repent

For what is easiest to mention, the night went by pretty fast, since I was able to procure a place to sleep in, but only thanks to the fact that I destroyed the home of someone might I add.

I woke in pretty high spirits and stared around the small room that I had slept in, which apparently was the same room that myself, Reimu, and Marisa had drank tea and had our discussion within. It made me wonder how small or large the shrine truly was, but I figured if I asked Reimu I might get a better answer.

I quickly changed out of the robe I had been given and went on my way to clear the back of the shrine of any debris from the accident, while procuring any of the same thing that I deemed might still have a use in the repairs. As I did this, Reimu appeared from around the corner with a surprised look on her face.

"Your up pretty early," She said as she walked through the other pieces of debris still scattered about, "Why is that? I didn't expect to see you working the moment you got up, I would have made something for you to eat."

"That's alright, I'm fine." I replied back, "Besides, I like to get a better start on a job more than anything. Think of it as a way to get your trust so you know I won't run out on you without repairing the shrine."

All Reimu did in hearing that was smile.

"Well you certainly did get my trust. I still can't believe that you were so willing to do all this, but like I said, I would have made you do it either way."

I could only laugh at that remark, and surely enough, Reimu did the same thing. It not only felt good to know Reimu trusted me enough, but to also know she would help me find a way to return back to my home.

"Hey Reimu." I called out to her just as she turned around to leave.

"Hmm?"

"I know this is probably a strange question to be asking at a time like this but..." I stalled for a bit before continuing, "Why is it that the shrine seems so, I don't know, small maybe? I figured that since its a shrine, you might get enough money from donations to renovate it or even repair it, so why go through the trouble of asking me to fix it when you can do it yourself, not that I mind really it's ju-... er, Reimu?" I stopped in mid-sentence, because I noticed Reimu seemed to be frozen in place. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"You want... to know... why I don't... do the repairs... myself with... my own... m-m-money..." The way she asked her question made me feel I had really just screwed up.

"No, no, no! Like I said, I don't mind doing this work, honestly, it's just I was curious... does the shrine get donations at all?"

That was when I realized something. Out of every question that you could possibly ask the miko of the Hakurei Shrine, there is one, you just should never ask... and that's whether or not she gets donations.

The second I asked, Reimu dropped to her knees. Out of simple reaction, I dropped the pieces of debris I was holding, and ran over to her.

"Hey! Are you alright?" I asked her. As I placed my hand on her back to help her up, I noticed she was trembling. She then looked at me with teary eyes that were already flowing.

"No one ever donates to my shrine..." Was all she said.

As she said that, I swore that I heard a crow or something let out some cry of lament from far away from the shrine.

After the drama of "no money ever being donated to the shrine" was over, I immediately went back to work on the repairs, all the while thinking, 'Why is it that no one donates to the shrine?'

The only answer I could get out of Reimu was a short but explanatory speech.

Apparently, because Reimu has solved a few different kinds of incidents in the past where youkai and the such were involved, there have been times when said youkai would hang around the shrine. It is because of this that when humans would try and come within even a mile to maybe visit or give a donation, they would see the youkai and run for the hills. Hence why some have called the Hakurei Shrine, a "home for youkai" or something along those lines.

While I knew she would probably cry at me for it, I could not help but feel sorry for Reimu. I mean, who else besides me and maybe Marisa could feel sorry for her... one other person did come to mind, but I don't think that idiot fairy had anything to do with this place.

"Hey, Aero!" A loud yet cheerful voice suddenly called out from above, so I looked up to see who it was. I wasn't to surprised by the fact that it was Marisa, who was riding in on the broom I had seen her with the other night.

I waved back to her as she came down and landed right next to me.

"So how goes your torture here at the shrine huh?" She said with an over powered smile.

"Torture? You must be joking right? Do you see anyone getting tortured around here, and besides that, I'll have you know that the work is nearly completed." I said in response as I puffed out my chest in a bit of arrogance. I have a bad habit of doing that sometimes.

"Yeah right, there's no way you did almost a month's work of- Holy Crap!" Marisa practically ate her words as she saw the fruits of my labor before her very eyes. The whole part of the shrine that I previously damaged looked almost as though nothing had ever hit it. Save for a few missing floor boards and roof pieces that were still missing, but were actually on the side, ready to be placed in, the repairs were practically complete.

"How... how did you do all this... in such a short amount of time! This is normally impossible, especially for human standards!" She said in frantic voice, obviously trying to figure out how I had performed my task with so little effort, so with no other choice I told her.

"Well, the thing is, I'm not actually human, well I mean I am, but only half." I said as she stood still in shock over the quickly done work.

"Huh, that's obvious enough! There's no way your... wait, you mean, your only half human?" Marisa said in confusion.

"Uh, yeah. I mean, you could say I'm a youkai, but at the same time, I'm not. I'm actually half-human and half-vampire, basically a combination of the two."

"No way..." Marisa was obviously surprised by the sudden revelation, "Then that means... does Reimu know yet?"

I got confused, "Uh, not yet, but I was planning on telling her at some point, why?" I asked with a sense of curiosity.

"Hmmm... that might be trouble, I mean, you do know that Reimu is a specialist in youkai extermination right?" She said with a troubled expression.

"A youkai exterminator? Actually yeah, I figured that since I saw her gohei and all; you know, since she practically killed me with it the other night, remember?" I explained, but Marisa still seemed worried.

"Well, maybe we should try and explain it to her but give her the info slowly so she really doesn't kill you or anything, m'kay?" She said with an enthusiastic smile.

"Alright, but I think she may already know, but yeah, I guess we can tell her. Let's go." Marisa quickly followed behind me as I headed to the back of the shrine where Reimu told me I could find her.

"Yeah, I already knew you weren't completely human; what made you think I didn't?" Reimu said after we had finished explaining everything to her involving me being not completely human.

"See, I told you Marisa, so everything is fine okay?"

"But how did you know that Reimu? You just met him yesterday right? So tell me how." Marisa seemed a little on edge with all of the knowledge that wasn't being told to her, so I could understand how she felt in a way.

"It wasn't that hard. I mean I could feel the energy he was giving off somewhat, and it was easy enough to say for a fact that he also has that special little trinket of his on his back." Reimu pointed towards me as though I was hiding something.

"Oh, so you noticed it huh?" I said as I pulled the sheathed knife from behind my waist. I held it out so both Reimu and Marisa could see it well, "I figured you would notice it eventually but I didn't think so soon. Yeah, this is my little "trinket" as you call it, that converts my power into physical attacks. It's called Black Heaven, and it's a weapon that has been passed down from one generation to the next within my family, most of all, used by my great ancestor Kakuro."

"So that little blade of yours can do some serious damage I assume huh?" Marisa asked as she took hold of it to get a better view. She then pulled the knife out of it's sheath, "Whoa! It looks really sharp."

"Well of course, I make sure it's in good condition on a regular basis." I explained to her.

"Well I guess that makes sense, since you never know when you'll need it huh?" She said with her usual smile.

"Anyway, let's continue. Let me tell you something Aero; I said I am willing to help you find a way back to your home, and of course, I am willing to let you stay here at the shrine since you don't have anywhere else to go, but I think it would be best; if we test your strength." As Reimu said that, she stood up and drew her gohei and pointed it straight at me. I was surprised more than anything.

"Huh? Uh, sure, I guess that's okay, but I will warn you; I am not as weak as I may look." I said in a proud tone.

"Hold on, we aren't just going to do this in a regular fight, were going to do this, in a danmaku battle." Reimu said as she walked out the back door.

"Danmaku? What in the world is that?"

"Danmaku is basically a type of battle where we shoot special bullets at each other in our own kind of patterns." Marisa explained as she followed behind Reimu.

"Okay, I suppose I can deal with that, but I can't really do any shooting, only physical attacks, so just be careful okay?" I said to the two of them as they stood next to one another one end of the yard.

"No problem, we just want to confirm you can handle it." Reimu called from the other end.

"Alright then. Whenever you're ready, fire away!" I said on the other end of the yard.

As I finished speaking, Reimu began walking forward slowly, one step at a time but soon she began to pick up speed, and then... she vanished.

"What!"

"Look up!" I had almost no time to react as a series of red colored bullets, and various sealing amulets came raining down on the spot where I stood. As I jumped into the air, all I could see was a small crater where I had been standing.

"Sheesh! You don't mess around when it comes down to it huh?" I said as Reimu regained her ground below.

"Off course we don't, you gotta be as serious as possible when it comes to danmaku!" Marisa called as she came charging at me on her broom.

"So you're next huh!" I quickly avoided her attack but realized I had been tricked. This time, a series of star shaped bullets began swarming around me, each differently colored, almost like a rainbow.

"Damn!" I jumped left and right, up and down, as I tried avoiding each bullet that came at me.

'This is complete madness! How the heck am I supposed to avoid all these shots... wait, are there even more than before!' I soon realized that there were other star shaped bullets but much smaller than the ones from before.

"So this is danmaku huh! Now I see why it means bullet hell, because this is madness! But now..." After avoiding all the bullets, I stood in midair and readied for an attack. A wave of dark looking energy began swirling around Black Heaven, "It's time I show you how I do things when I fight!" With that, I began reciting the incantation for my true blade.

Darkness surrounds my heart

But my heart is of light

And darkness is my strength

The songs of death will be written

So let me call forth its name

Reaper of the ode to the dead

Black Requiem

With that, Black Heaven immediately transformed from a regular knife, to a full fledged katana; black blade and a black hilt, the whole sword was nothing but a black sword of pure darkness. Otherwise known as Black Requiem.

"Whoa! Now that was awesome! So now I guess we get to see what Aero can truly- what... where did he go!"

"Why don't you look behind you!" I cried out as I swung my sword forward. Marisa easily dodged it though.

"Hey, you aren't serious are you! That was dangerous wasn't it?" Marisa cried out as she readjusted her hat from the wind my sword swing had made.

"Don't worry about it Marisa, let's show him what we can do when we team up alright." Reimu said with a confident smile.

"Alright then. Get ready Aero, your gonna see what we can really do! So take this!" A series of star shaped shots like before soon began shooting one after another in my direction.

"Good luck now." A number of sealing amulets began shooting out from random areas around Reimu as well as the large red bullets from before, all coming at me.

Even with all of this, I didn't move an inch, and dark energy began swirling around Black Requiem's blade. Soon, that energy forged completely around it, as though it were a part of the blade.

"Let's end this shall we?" I called out.

"Wha-" Both Reimu and Marisa stammered for a split second.

"Black Moon..." I raised the sword above me, "WAVE!" And then swung it launching out a large black blade of energy that went straight forward.

Every bullet from before that Reimu and Marisa had fired, almost immediately disappeared without a trace as the blade of energy cut through them.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Marisa cried out as the blade got closer and closer to the two of them.

"So he's a lot stronger than I presumed." Reimu said as she simply looked at the attack as it came head on at her.

"Hey now don't worry." I quickly jumped in front of them and brought up my sword to stop the attack. As soon as it touched the blade, it vanished instantly. From behind me, I could hear Marisa panting as though she was almost killed.

"Th- tha- that was... AWSOME!" Marisa suddenly yelled out with incredible energy and jumped from her broom onto my back to hug me.

"Hey! Marisa! Be careful! You could fall if you don't have your broom!" I cried as I tried to balance myself with the sudden addition of weight.

"Ah who cares? That was just so cool! I didn't think you could fight like that Aero! You really are someone noteworthy." She said with cheer. I couldn't help but blush at her compliment.

"Uh thanks Marisa that really means something to... eee!" I suddenly jolted as though something was poking me... on my back.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Marisa asked as my face got even redder.

"Uhh... well, it's just that... something is... poking my back from behind. Sorry." I quietly said.

Marisa looked down than back up... and lit up like a Christmas tree light.

"Wha- what the hell do you mean by that you perv!" She began yelling at me and actually started to choke me. I tried to stop her, but she actually put up quite a fight.

"No! That's not what I meant, and besides, it's your own fault for jumping on my back so get off!" I called out to her.

She immediately jumped off me and back onto her broom, while at the same time covering her chest with her hands.

"Mmm... so your really a perv huh Aero? Feel pretty bold after doing that don't you?" She said as she formed a pretty crazy grin on her face.

"I told you, that was your own fault! Anyway, are we done here Reimu?" I asked as I pulled myself together after my little bout with Marisa.

"Are you sure you don't want to continue with Marisa? You looked as though you were enjoying it." She said with a naughty smile.

"Shut up! I told you, I wasn't trying to do that! She jumped on me! It's her own damn fault! Besides that, I think it would have been better if it was you who had done that... uhh..." I absolutely wanted to kill myself when I realized what I said. I could feel my face burn up, and I could see that Reimu's face was turning as red as Marisa's was.

"Wha- what do you mean by that! Are you trying to act stupid or are you just a pervert like Marisa said!" She called out at me.

"AHH! Damn it! I don't know anymore, let's just drop the subject and go back okay. This is just so embarrassing." I said as I dropped down to the ground. Both Reimu and Marisa followed suit.

"Whatever. Anyway, how are the repairs going?" Reimu asked as she followed close behind me.

"Practically done. I'm sure by tomorrow I will have them finished and anything else you might need. Oh! That's right, I just remembered that I wanted to tell you something."

"Hmm? What?"

"Oh, just to tell you that, once I can go back and get some more money that I will make the biggest donation you have probably ever seen here at the shrine! But I am sure it's not as exciting as it sounds." I smiled as I said this and looked at Reimu who looked as though she were about to fall apart.

"Are... are you serious... your not lying right... cause if you are..." Reimu tried as hard as she could to get an answer out of me. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Ha ha ha! Yeah I'm serious! I never go back on my word." It was with that that Reimu squealed and jumped on to me just as Marisa had.

"Oh Aero! You have no idea how happy I am now! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I could feel her squeezing me tighter and tighter with each "thank you."

"Hey, what do you know, it does feel better with you that it does with Marisa." I said as she continued her hug. She looked up for a split second, then jumped back and covered her chest in the same manner as Marisa did.

"Ugh... you are a pervert." She said softly

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" I could not help but seriously laugh at the moment.

"Shut up you! You really are quite a player though." Marisa said as she softly elbowed me in the side, "But that's what makes you so entertaining, ha ha ha!" Marisa said as she joined in on the laughter fest.

"Oh, you two... mm, ha ha ha ha ha!" Eventually Reimu too joined in our laughter and for a second, I really felt a part of this new home of mine.

Night... a time when we sleep to gain our strength back after the day has passed. I could only feel the covers of the futon as I lay within the room from the same night of before. Only, the dream I was having... was very different.

"Hey, what's going on? Is someone there?" I called out in the vast red space I was within, that I could only presume was my dream.

"Ufufufu..." A faint sound that sounded like giggling was the next thing I heard.

"Who's there?" I cried out.

"I see... I see now; you are the one that I sensed." The sound then became a voice that sounded like a young girls, only... it felt menacing, almost threatening.

"What do you mean by that, who are you!"

"Don't cry now... there is still time left, and it will all go according to fate, as that is what I have decided." The voice said.

"Fate? What do you mean fate? Just tell me who you are!" I continued to call out.

"I won't tell you, but you will find out in time. Just remember, your fate is in my hands." The voice said as it began to fade.

"Wait!" I tried to call on voice, but I didn't get any reply.

"What does this mean? Fate is screwing with me again? Damn it! Not again!" I could only cry those words out as I tried to wrap my mind around everything that had already transpired... and within a dream.

Little did I know, fate truly was going to present me with the most difficult battle I would enter... with an eternally young scarlet devil...

* * *

><p>Hello everyone! Chris Kasaiaki here! This will be the third chapter in the story I am writing here on FanFiction. To be honest, this is the first thing I have ever submitted to the public that was my own personal writing. I would really appreciate any critical reviews to point out any errors I may have made, since I am really trying the best to write to my fullest ability. Aside from that, what do you think. It's starting to get serious for our hero in this story. And I am sure for those of you who are familiar with Touhou, you may know who it was that spoke to Aero in his dream in the last part. I hope to try and create the further chapters so as to not leave anyone who might have read waiting for the next part that is if anyone does want to read. Just kidding. Untill then, I bid you all farewell. Hope you enjoyed the story!<p>

Also, if you want any insight or info as to who my OC's are, just PM me.


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